Auger head



March 29, 1955 M. MOCLENNAN 2,705,128

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United States Patent AUGER HEAD Application March 15, 1950, Serial No. 149,831 Claims. (Cl. 25561) assignor Ohio, a cor- This invention relates to improvements in angers, and more particularly to improvements in augers for drilling holes in earth rock, and the like to receive blasting charges.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an auger having an improved drilling headwhich will minimize the length of time required for drilling operation, and which will require a minimum amount of sharpening.

The present invention provides an auger head including a rotatable body portion provided with a series of vanes which extend outward relative to the axis of rotation and which are provided with a plurality of individual cutters or bits. The invention also provides an auger head with a plurality of cutters which are removably mounted to facilitate replacement and sharpening, together with an efficient means for retaining such cutters in position on the head and facilitating their replace ment.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The essential features of the invention will be summarized in the claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an anger head embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the auger head on a somewhat reduced scale and with its axis of rotation in a horizontal plane; Fig. 3 is a top view of the auger head, as indicated by the lines 33 on Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the auger head as indicated by the correspondingly numbered lines 44 on Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a transverse section, the'plane of the section being indicated by the lines 55 on Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a sectional detail, the plane of the section being indicated by the lines 6-6 on Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section through the. head, the plane of the section being substantially that indicated by the lines 7-7 on Fig. 4; Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating the cutting action of the auger as viewed from the bottom of the head, as for instance, as shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 9 is an elevational view of a cutter or bit removed from the auger head; Fig. 10 is a view of the cutter as viewed from the lines 10-10 on Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a view of the cutter as indicated by the lines 1111 on Fig. 9; Fig. 12 is a transverse section through the cutter, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 1212 on Fig. 9; Fig. 13 is a sectional detail view through a portion of the head illustrating a bit or cutter in position thereon; Fig. 14 is a sectional detail, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 14-14 on Fig. 13; and Fig. 15 is a view similar to Fig. 14 illustrating the cutter in a different position relative to the auger head.

The improved auger head comprises a substantially cylindrical body 10 adapted to be rotated about its axis 11 which, in Fig. 1, is illustrated as extending vertically and in Fig. 2 as extending horizontally. The body 10 has a reduced shank 12 extending axially therefrom. In Fig. 1 this shank 12 extends upward from the body and is rectangular in cross section. The shank 12 is adapted to be received by a complementary shaped socket 14 formed in one end of a drilling shaft generally indicated at 15. The head may be secured to the shaft 15 by a pin generally indicated in Fig. 2 as 16 extending through aligned openings extending transversely through the shaft 15 and the shank 12, the latter opening being indicated at 17. The body 10 is substantially the same diameter as that of the shaft and when in position on the shaft the 2,705,128 Patented Mar. 29, 1955 (Fig. 1) abuts the lower end of the shaft. Accordingly, both rotation and axial thrust will be transmitted from the shaft to the auger head.

The body 10 of the head is provided with a plurality of vanes which extend outwardly from the body relative to its axis of rotation. Three such vanes, 20, 21 and 22, are shown in the drawings. These vanes are substantially equispaced and each vane extends or curves outwardly and forwardly of rotation of the body. is particularly adapted for right hand or clockwise rotation. Accordingly, when in Fig. 3, these vanes spiral outwardly in a clockwise direction. The vanes also slope or curve axially upward upper surface 19 thereof will readily pass upward 22 to the usual spiral flight'or rib These cutters extend substantially outwardly from the face 23 and project forwardly toward the direction of rotation of the auger. In the embodiment illustrated three bits or cutters 30 are mounted on each vane and one cutter 30A on the body 10 adjacent its axis of rotation. The cutter 30A is positioned with its cutting face on the axis extended The cutters 30 are positioned so that the innermost cutter 30B on the vane 20 (Fig. 4), cuts an annular path 31 adjacent to that of the cutter 30A; the innermost cutter 30B of the wing 21 cuts an annular path 32 having a radius greater than that of the path 31; the innermost cutter 30B on the vane 22 cuts a path 33 having a radius greater than that of the path 32; the central cutter 30C of the vane 20 cuts a path 34 having a radius greater than that of the path 33; the central cutter 30C of the vane 21 cuts a path 35 having a still larger radius; the cutter 30C on the vane 22 cuts a path 36 larger than the path 35; and the cutters 30D on the vanes 20, 21 and 22 cut paths 37, 38 and 39 respectively, which are each of a radius larger than the preceding path. The

to 12, each cutter has a shank 40, rectangular in section edge 43 at the base of the cutter. The upper portion 44 of the cutter is frustro-conical and is adapted to seat in a similarly shaped recess 45 formed in the auger head. The cutters are retained in position in the head by retaining members 50, carried by the head and projecting into respective recesses 45. In the form illustrated the member". threaded into the head and are provided with enlarged heads 51 which are counter-sunk in the bottom of the auger head. As indicated in Fig. 13, the enlarged heads 51 of the set screws 50 project into the upper portion of respective cutter receivin. recesses 45. The circumference of the upper portion 44 of each cutter is provided with an axially extending arcuate groove 52 to receive the head 51 of the member 50 and permit the cutter to be slid axially into its respective recess 45. After a cutter has been seated, it is rotated in direction of the arrow, Fig. 15, from the position shown in such figure to the position shown in Fig. 14. During this rotation the head of the retaining member 50 enters a circumferentially extending slot 57 formed in the cutter adjacent the base of the groove 52, thus holding the cutter in position on the auger head in the manner of a bayonet lock. The wall 58 of the slot 57 engages the head of the member 50 and restricts or limits the turning movement of the cutter. The relation of the member 50 to the cutter receiving recess 45 is such that the cutting forces reacting on the cutter, indicated by the arrow 60 in Fig. 14, tend to turn the cutter in a counterclockwise direction which retains the cutter seated in a locked position.

The engagement of the head 51 of the member 50 with the wall 61 of the cutter slot 57 prevents movement out of its recess 45, and its engagement with the wall 62 of the slot 57 prevents the cutter from being forced into the recess to such an extent as to make removal of the cutter difiicult.

For convenience the improved auger head has been described, to a great extent, with reference to a vertical axis, and as having its cutters on the bottom of the head. It is to be understood that the auger head may be used with its axis in any position desired, and that such references in the specification and claims are relative only.

The improved auger head of the present invention will I drill a five inch diameter hole in sand rock to a depth of five feet in approximately twenty minutes without requiring removal of the auger from the hole, whereas cutters used in the past would drill a hole of substantially the same diameter, under substantially the same conditions to a depth of about three feet in approxi mately fifteen minutes. Then, such augers had to be removed from the hole and sharpened before drilling could be continued. The time required for removal of such augers from the hole, sharpening the cutter and returning the auger to the hole far exceeded the time required for drilling operations with the present invention.

I claim:

1. An auger head comprising a body adapted for rotation about and movement along a central axis through the body, said body having a forward and a rearward axial end, a plurality of vanes circumferentially spaced about the axis and extending outwardly from the body, each vane having a forward edge and a rearward edge spaced from each other along the axis of rotation, the forward edges of each vane intersecting at the axis and each forward edge being curved rearwardly from the intersection towards the outer extremity of the corresponding vane, each vane also having a leading face and an opposite trailing face with respect to the direction of rotation, the plane of the faces of each vane being swept back from the forward edge to the rearward edge, whereby the rearward edge of each vane is offset behind the forward edge thereof, the plane of the faces of each vane also curving from the body towards the outward extremity thereof and into the direction of rotation, and a plurality of cutters secured in spaced relation from each other along the forward edge of each vane and extending outwardly therefrom.

2. The auger head of claim 1, wherein each of the cutters is spaced outwardly along its forward vane edge a different distance from the axis of rotation than the other cutters.

3. The auger head of claim 1, wherein one of the cutters is disposed at the intersection of the forward edges of the vanes and wherein each of the remaining cutters is mounted at a different distance from the axis of rotation than the other cutters.

4. In a rotatable auger head having a plurality of vanes circumferentially spaced about the axis of rotation and each presenting a forward edge at one axial extremity of the head, a plurality of cutters extending outwardly from the forward edge of each vane, each cutter having a conical shank, each vane having conical recesses extending inwardly from the corresponding forward edge of the vane toward the trailing edge and adapted to receive the cutter shanks, each cutter shank having an elongated axially extending slot at its external surface terminating in a circumferentially extending slotted portion intermediate the ends of the cutter, a locking member removably extending into each conical recess and engaging the slot'formed in each corresponding shank, said member having externally accessible means in the plane of the forward edge of each vane for removing the member from the recess, and said member coacting in one extreme position within the recess with the circumferential slotted portion on the shank to interlock and retain the cutter in position on the corresponding vane.

5. An auger head comprising, a plurality of elongated vanes joined together substantially along one longitudinal edge to provide a body adapted for rotation in a predetermined direction about a longitudinal axis extending substantially along the junction of said vanes, each vane extending outwardly from the axis and having a forward edge and a rearward edge spaced axially from each other and each vane having a leading face and a trailing face with respect to the direction of rotation, the plane of the faces of each vane being curved from the forward edge to the rearward edge in the trailing direction, and also curving outwardly from the axis into the direction of rotation, the forward edge of each vane being inclined rearwardly from the uncture towards the outward extremity, and a series of cutters mounted in spaced relation along the edge of each vane.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,388,490 Suntan Aug. 23, 1921 1,416,647 King May 16, 1922 1,443,344 Chapman Jan. 30, 1923 1,468,774 Caldwell Sept. 25, 1923 1,593,586 Meredith July 27, 1926 1,767,883 Hardsocg Apr. 28, 1931 1,926,635 Seng Sept. 12, 1933 2,065,898 Kreag Dec. 29, 1936 2,504,978 Henning Apr. 25, 1950 2,578,014 Petersen Dec. 11, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 162 Great Britain Ian. 17, 1868 

